Brighty of the Grand Canyon
Brighty of the Grand Canyon is a 1953 children's novel by Marguerite Henry and a 1966 film of the same name based on the novel. They present a fictionalized account of a real-life burro named "Brighty", who lived in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River from about 1892 to 1922.[2]
 First edition | |
| Author | Marguerite Henry |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Wesley Dennis |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Rand McNally (1953) Aladdin (1991) |
Publication date | November 1953[1] |
| Pages | 222 |
| ISBN | 978-0-689-71485-6 (second printing) |
| OCLC | 305533 |
| Brighty of the Grand Canyon | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Norman Foster |
| Screenplay by | Norman Foster |
| Based on | Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry |
| Produced by | Stephen F. Booth for Stephen F. Booth Productions |
| Starring | Joseph Cotten Pat Conway Dick Foran Karl Swenson Dandy Curran |
| Cinematography | Ted Saizis Vincent Saizis |
| Edited by | Joseph Dervin |
| Music by | Phyllis Lavsky Richard Lavsky |
| Distributed by | Feature Film Corporation of America |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Language | English |
Book and film
Henry penned her novel after she read an article about Brighty in Sunset Magazine. It won the 1956 William Allen White Children's Book Award.
Thomas McKee, the former manager of Wiley's Camp on the North Rim of the Canyon, read Henry's novel and wrote to express his interest in the book. McKee told Henry that his son, Bob, was Brighty's closest companion. He sent Henry a photograph of young Bob McKee sitting on Brighty's back. Bob became the composite character Homer Hobbs, played in the film by Dandy Curran.[3]
The other film characters include Old Timer, a prospector played by Dick Foran, and Uncle Jim Owen, a man of the Old West played by Joseph Cotten. Pat Conway appears as Jake Irons,[3] who murders Old Timer for his copper ore. Uncle Jim then proceeds to help bring Irons to justice. Theodore Roosevelt was played by Karl Swenson.[3] Parts of the film were shot at the Colorado River in Utah and the Grand Canyon in Arizona.[4]
Brighty's monument
Brighty is honored with a bronze statue in the lobby of Grand Canyon Lodge,[5] a National Historic Landmark,[6] located near Arizona State Route 67 approximately 43 miles south of the junction with U.S. Route 89 alternate route. The sculpture is by artist Peter Jepsen.[7]
See also
References
- "Independent Burro; BRIGHTY OF THE GRAND CANYON. By Marguerite Henry. Illustrated by Wesley Dennis. 222 pp. Chicago: Rand McNally & Co. $2.95". New York Times. 1953-11-15. p. BRA34.
- Henry, Marguerite (1953). Brighty: Of the Grand Canyon. ISBN 0689714858.
- "Brighty of the Grand Canyon". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
- D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423605874.
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- "Grand Canyon Lodge". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- Lago, Don (2014). Canyon of dreams : stories from Grand Canyon history. University of Utah Press. pp. 174f. ISBN 9781607813156.